enclosures build or buy?

this is the first time IM doing car audio.... some installer gave me an outragous price quote, so I thnk Im going to take the job on myself, I own 2 MTX 6000's ( T6124A) and 2 MTX 8000's (T8124) which ones would be better to run?? the 8000's look like they would be better but I have no experience with either of them .... I also have an Alpine V12 amp ( MRV-1507... I am going to buy a yellow top battery and 1 farad battery caps. what should I do?? I have a 1994 honda accord, Id like to put this in myself but I have never done anything like that before, so as much info as you can give is appreciated!! thanks always , Selah

personally if you haven't done this before i would let someone else do this...it involves removing the head unit and some other panels and then building some relays laying a bunch of wires...and then of course fabricating your own box unless you want to put a generic box in and let the amps roll around...how much were you estimated...i would say around 700 to do the whole thing...

The 8000s are the better of the two.

If you don't mind me asking, where are you located in the country?  And how much did this installer quote you for and what did the quote include?  I just wanna make sure you've investigated all the possible places to get it installed before doing it yourself.

Just a warning if you've never done car stereo stuff it's gonna be a lot of work, but it's definitely do-able.  I'd suggest you check out Crutchfield's info center cuz they have a really good step-by-step on how to install amps.

Unless you are really good with woodworking and have access to a table saw, a jig saw, etc. I'd highly recommend you at least avoid building the box.  You can find some pretty inexpensive ones on ebay, some of the people will even build you one to the exact specs you desire for no extra cost.

You're going to need an amplfiier wiring kit and unless you have an aftermarket head unit already in there, an external line output converter would also be a good idea.

Really I think the main thing is that you set aside an entire weekend without obligations or interruptions, where you can work on the car without having to worry about when you'll finally finish it all.  Also the more patient and cautious you are the more likely you will be to have a successful install.

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Ethan
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"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success"
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Whoa just posted and I guess while I was composing someone else had already responded.....$700 bucks  for the install????  That sounds a little steep to me but maybe you're in an expensive part of the country.

Just out of curiosity, what's the subwoofer box got to do with the amplifier mounting?  cuz you said "....unless you wanna buy a generic box and let the amps roll around."

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Ethan
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"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success"
Donate to the12volt.com

wow you think $700 is steep.. the guy here on Long Island New York quoted me 1200 , I was like wtf.. I could buy and have a dealer install a whole rockford system plus 2 amps for that much... no I havent exausted all my possibliities yet, I want to look into some more dealers and things like that this week, but its hard cuz I work in Montauk 5 days a week M-F 9-5... I have a Panasonic head unit ( aftermarket) it has a subwoofer option on it where you can mute or turn them up in addition to the dB contorls with Treble and Bass for the whole system, I think it goes from -12 to 12 dB for both Bass and Treble..... ok what the guy quoted me for was now keep in mind... I already own the 4 subs, an amp and a head unit..... I was going to buy a yellow top battery with a circut breaker, a custom box, all the wires ( 1/0 ) and an amp wiring kit and I was going to buy 1 farad battery cap off the street for $40 ( I bought the whoole system off one person , nt multiuple people and I made sure it wasnt hott merchindise... he took it out of his own car), ... I think he said he wanted to put better battery terminals on and a bigger altinator cable.... How does this cost 1200 to install?? or more.... ?? thats BS, he said he wants $150 per box he needs to make, I am going ot look into some more dealers, I know a couple of friends that all they do is hook peoples systems up... so Ill see what I can do.. I'll prob end up letting another dealer put this stuff in , but I dont have a lot of cash I can be dropping right now, so I need to do it for cost.... what else do you think I'll need?? Im only goin to use 2 of the subs, you said the 8000's are the better of the two??? why?? not questioning, just curious cuz I have no clue lol... do I need an eq?? If you had the better of those two subs and the amp I have, what would you do?? thanks!!

I would suggest having a buddy that installs stereos like you said do it. Hang out while he is doing it and observe, ask questions, pick his brain. Next time you go to do an install it won't be so unfamiliar and you could do it yourself. I know dealers are insulting on there prices. I got into working on cars and stereos purely because I didn't have the money for somebody else to do it and I didn't want to shell out huge amounts of cash for a moderate amount of work. Also if you save money on the install you can purchase higher quality equipment. Good luck

that is the best way. i learned by watching other people. and i am currently building an enclosure and amp racks for the first time. i am looking forward to it.

You dont really need a table saw. a circular saw is good enough. just make sure you watch what you cutting and the measurements or you get a crooked cut. With this sites calcualtors its easy to do it.

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I need quality equipment, feel free to donate.

I also have built boxes only using a circular saw and a jig saw. Like Maxst said just be careful. Also if you have any questions you have found the best website I have ever come across for car audio and security info. This place is a wealth of knowledge.

if you go to home depot they cut it for you.

Or since school is starting...go to a high school and ask the shop teacher...thats if shop is still around in other places???

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I need quality equipment, feel free to donate.